Morning journal and courier., 1887-01-07

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the institution, and that if it is not made they
must call for an extra appropriation of ct
least six thousand dollars. 1t is a well
established business principle that from an
income known and steady and uniform better
results can be obtained than from like sum
received in irregular amounts and at uncer-
tain times. l therefore recommend that the
desired increase be granted rather than that
a special appropriation be voted to meet
deficiency which must be constantly arising.
STATE PRISON.
The State prison directors report that the
work for the enlargement and improvement
of the prison is going on, and when it Is
completed the State will have substantially
new prison with all the modern improve
ments, at cost far less than that of any
similar institution in the whole country.
The highest number of ccnvicts confined
at any one time during the last year was
three hundred and ten, whereas the new
prison will have cells for four hundred and
fifty. If it were not true that righteous
administration of justice would rapidly I'LL
up the prison, one might express the hope
that there would be no need of its further
enlargement for many years to come.
The ordinary expenses of the prison ex-
ceeded its income by the sum of two thou
sand four h0nQfeQ ana one
dollars and thirty-two cents (s2, 4O1. 32).
This deficiency in no way re-
fleets ON the management of the institution.
The large amount of sickness among the
prisoners diminished the income, but the
State from year to year is getting as much
for the labor of its convicts as it has any
reason to expect under the present system.
The commitments on the average are for 30
short a time, and there are SO many uncer-
tainties connected with convict labor, that
no manufacturer will contract for its use ex-
cept at prices SO low as to absolutely ensure
his profit. He will not take the ordinary
chances of loss and gain. When some wise
scheme shall be devised whereby the State
can sell at its full value some fit product of
the labor itself. and when the demands of
justice shall be so needed that the short sem
fences of the present courts give place to the
longer ones which our criminals richly de-
serve, two desirable results will follow
That real grievance which is caused by the
degrading competition of underpaid convict
labor-degrading, not because it is convict,
but because it is underpaid-will be abol-
ished, and the income of your prison will ex-
coed all its ordinary and extraordinary ex-
penses by a surplus SO large that it will go a
long way toward meeting the costs of your
criminal courts
The discipline of the prison has been excel
lent and both the warden and his subordl-
deserved the highest praise.
The directors ask the passage of law
which shall provide that all regular meetings
of the Board of Pardons shall be held at the
prison in Wethersfeld and not at Hartford.
The reasons in favor of such law are the
strong ones of convenience, discipline and
expense, and there would seem to be no well
grounded objection to its passage.
I commend to your most earnest consider
alton the wise and timely suggestions which
the prison directors make with reference to
the criminal class. These suggestions will
bring to you as body the question which
no doubt has often come to you as individu
not meant to be an institution OF
reform, though of course the Christian idea
of reform runs all through its management. 1t
was not meant to be even place of punish
ment, except SO far the punishment of
crime tends to the promotion of law and or
der. Least of all was it meant to be house
of refuge, to which the habitual criminal
could 60 until the people had forgotten their
wrongs and their wrath, and it was safe for
him to begin again his career of plumber and
violence. The prison will be answering the
fnll purpose of its existence when it gives
permanent protection to all good citizens by
shutting up forever within its walls and be
hind its bolts and bars the entire criminal
class of the State. Is it protection when you
unchain the mad dog and let him loose on
the playground? Is it protection when you
open the door of the cage and let the tiger
out into tn crowded street? Is it protection
when you open the gates of your prison and
out into the peaceful walks of society send
forth the hardened criminal, whose brutal
Instincts have been intensified by confne-
ment, and who has obeyed all the rules of
prison life simply that he might the sooner
begin again to rob or murder? When you
have answered these questions you will ia
vorably consider the Recommendation of
your able board of directors and will place
upon our statute books law not less strin-
gent than that of the State of Ohio. Some
future legislature will wisely take long step
beyond this, and will fix the life sentence as
the penalty for every crime, the commission
of which shall show that the man is already
a confirmed criminal
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
The full and able report of the labor COM
missioner deserves your special attention.
The law fixing the limit of child labor at
thirteen years is meeting with general akv
prevail Employers, az a rule favor the la6v
and gladly obey its requirements, but many
of the parents, impelled by poverty or mo-
tives of gain, are disposed to evade it. The
limit is certainly not set too high, but if
higher standard were to be adopted now it
would increase the tendency to ignore the
law and might make its enforcement impos-
OlS w Acn YOU nave PldCto AH1I
SO high and have enforced the law SO
vigorously that the childs education is Sc
cured. it may be we'll not to try to settle the
hard question as to which brings the greater
wrong, the exhausting labor of factory OF
the hunger and cold of a cherries home.
The commissioner recommends the enact
ment of statute exempting from attach
ment the wages of mechanics and laborers.
Such statute would take away that basis of
credit which is now furnished by our factor
izing laws, would compel the storekeeper to
refuse to trust except in cases of undoubted
personal character and responsibility, end
would tend to bring about weekly payments
in all the factories. This would increase the
purchasing power of wages, would lessen the
losses of the merchants, and with few excep-
tons, would cause no hardship to the en-
ployers. These desirable results would be
by the operation of natural
laws, which enforce themselves without the
the expense and the uncertainty
of litigation Surely the employer cannot
complain if the State simply removes those
Instructions that impede the workings of the
natural laws of trade and commerce.
EDUCATION.
At the close of the last fiscal year the
principal of the school fund amounted to two
millions twenty-five Thousand two hundred
and four dollars and twenty seven cents
($2, 022, 204.27), a loss from the previous year
OI S0N0A CIOuSaIQ u1n0 nunOreO ana nineteen
dollars and forty-seven cents ($7, 919.4O. A
part of this loss came from the foreclosure of
certain old mortgages, and the rest was the
result of the readjustment of the stock of the
City bank of Hartford. The people of the
State feel natural pride in keeping the cap
ital of the school fund un1mpaired, and any
appropriation made for this purpose would
work no injustice to anyone and would prob
ably meet with general approval.
The total amount of money raised in the
State during the last year for the support of
tie common schools was one million six hun
dred and sixty three thousand nine
teen dollars and seventeen cents
($1, 663, O19.1D. OF this sum about
seven hundred and ffty-nine Thousand dol
($759, 000 came from town taxation; about
four hundred and forty-eight Thousand dol
lars (ss448, 000) from district taxation; about
one hundred and fourteen thousand dollars
($114, 00O from the earnings of the school
fund.- nearly forty-eight Thousand dollars
SIS. 00O from the town denosit fund and To-